The Good Ol' days! 80's Arcades and Fashion

[Dave McLaren]

My buddy 15 yrs old and borrowed her sisters car(yes borrowed),got some wine coolers(yes, wine coolers!! ) Started drinking in the parking lot at the Cinedome and the cops pulled up behind us. Stashed our drinks under the seats and was asked for the booze.We lied and said we had none. Got asked to get out of the car and they found it.
They were watching us from over the fence at the motel. Thats how I got my minor in possession at 15 there.
But yes, your right, wasnt so harsh back then for it.

Tustin Lanes is still there!

Nice. Sucked at the time, but now we're old, this shit is golden.

[der affe]

don't forget Mr Zog's SEX WAX

i liked BUBBLE GUM wax better though

[archie]

Hey archie, what was the name of that drive-in on Katella we all used to park-n-party at? In '85 my gf and I were there and she was on the rag, so I pushed for a bj. She asked me not to jizz in her mouth but it was either that or on the leather of my dad's car, so in her mouth it went lol.

Great story.lol!
The one by the Cinedome was the Orange Drive Ins and I cant remember the one off Katella. It was where the Chilis is now and Lazy Dog, right?

[archie]

Nice. Since you were in AZ, I'm gonna guess you didn't have much in the way of skate shops. Did you used to order from Val Surf who used to advertise in Skateboarder magazine?

I was lucky; we had a killer skatepark, the Big O, right nearby on Chapman Avenue at Tustin Avenue in Orange, where I used to buy all my shit. I remember watching the Pro-Am and Duane Peters giving guys crop haircuts in the bathroom. I think that was '81. Big O installed some waterpark shit in the middle of the place, with those tubes you slide down. They were killer clear ones. Shortly thereafter, one broke as a kid slid down, and the kid was hanging on as the next kid slid down. Bad scene. I think the lawsuits killed the skatepark. Maybe Archie will remember this better.

Here's Duane Peters at the Big O. I'm gonna guess this is '81 by the pink wheels.

I skated there.Still have my membership card for it. Went to the water park too. And yes, it broke and a kid fell through it. Thats what closed it. Sucked big time!

[Dave McLaren]

being from AZ i was more into skateboarding then surfing, but every year we were "zonies" in San Deigo for a month and i did a lot of surfing at Tourmaline, OB, Oceanside/Del Mar, and i even went to "The Wedge" once in Newport beach

Didn't even register... "zonies." This is seriously obscure '80s lingo lol.

The Wedge mostly blew, it was more of a Boogieboarding place since it would crank up and bang down practically on the shore. In the later '80s it was the place for skimboarding. I tried that a few times but always seemed to fuck up my toes on the stupid things. Newport was more about 28th street and up iirc.

[archie]

Big O Water Park Story I just found.

"We were there the day of the accident, my brother and neighbor were the last ones down the slide. The accounts I have seen are actually pretty accurate except that there was no loss of life. What happen is that a large hole opened up in the slide, 2 people went flying over the hole with no major issues but the next 1 went through. The second got caught by his stomach and hung until the paramedics freed him, but he survived. My brother and neighbor went over next and flew over the heads of the person dangling. Apparently by this point the first person over the hole had gotten to the bottom and they shut the slide down. There were 4 people with minor scratches and 1 that obviously had to be taken to the hospital so only 5 were injured. The waterslide was shut down due to lack of business, given that the park was packed on that hot August day I have to think it ruined them."

[Dave McLaren]

Great story.lol!
The one by the Cinedome was the Orange Drive Ins and I cant remember the one off Katella. It was where the Chilis is now and Lazy Dog, right?

I just googled it. Bunch of old people putting this shit on the net. The Stadium Drive In. Yeah, where Chilis and that whole development is, on Katella near Main Street.

[der affe]

Nice. Since you were in AZ, I'm gonna guess you didn't have much in the way of skate shops. Did you used to order from Val Surf who used to advertise in Skateboarder magazine?

I was lucky; we had a killer skatepark, the Big O, right nearby on Chapman Avenue at Tustin Avenue in Orange, where I used to buy all my shit. I remember watching the Pro-Am and Duane Peters giving guys crop haircuts in the bathroom. I think that was '81. Big O installed some waterpark shit in the middle of the place, with those tubes you slide down. They were killer clear ones. Shortly thereafter, one broke as a kid slid down, and the kid was hanging on as the next kid slid down. Bad scene. I think the lawsuits killed the skatepark. Maybe Archie will remember this better.

Here's Duane Peters at the Big O. I'm gonna guess this is '81 by the pink wheels.

actually skateboarding was huge out here.

we had the Bare Cover (i used to skate on their team), Sidewalk Surfer (still in business), Vans California Daze as the 3 biggest ones.

i used to skate with M.Alba, S.Alba, Steve Schneer (the inventer of the HOHO plant), Bill Danforth, got to skate with Mark Gonzolas "the gonz" once.

i casually know DP through Duane Peters and the Disasters (i had him sign a pic from a show that i still have somewhere)

i actually got to skate Del Mar Skate ranch (the keyhole was fucking scarrrry!) a few times before is was bulldozed and got to skate the Upland Skatepark once on vacation

here are a few vintage skate pics for you to laugh at circa 1986

[Dave McLaren]

Big O Water Park Story I just found.

"We were there the day of the accident, my brother and neighbor were the last ones down the slide. The accounts I have seen are actually pretty accurate except that there was no loss of life. What happen is that a large hole opened up in the slide, 2 people went flying over the hole with no major issues but the next 1 went through. The second got caught by his stomach and hung until the paramedics freed him, but he survived. My brother and neighbor went over next and flew over the heads of the person dangling. Apparently by this point the first person over the hole had gotten to the bottom and they shut the slide down. There were 4 people with minor scratches and 1 that obviously had to be taken to the hospital so only 5 were injured. The waterslide was shut down due to lack of business, given that the park was packed on that hot August day I have to think it ruined them."

Whoa. Yeah, I remember hearing about the dangling bit. Can you imagine how messed up that must have been? I was going to skate that day but didn't get around to it. Glad I didn't.

BTW, have you seen Holiday Roller Rink? I was there last year and the place looks just like it did in the mid '80s, with the "new wave" color palette they did after getting rid of the '70s earth tones. I know it was kinda gay, and not like I was a regular there, but still, it was nostalgic to go there.

[Dave McLaren]

Those were awesome pics, der affe! You were so perfectly '86. The hair, the Vision deck... all a perfect snapshot. Excellent!

Steve Alba was getting kinda old then, but hey, he was my hero in like '80. I remember G&S had these things called Speed Sparks, which were these metal things with flint shit you'd attach to your back truck so when you were skating down the road at dusk there would be this trail of sparks. Steve was in an ad in Skateboarder, I think in '80, and I had to have Speed Sparks. iirc Danforth was just coming up around '85/'86.

By '86 that I was driving, surfing and partying. Big O was gone, so skating was some local ditch where we'd party, skate a little, and razz the younger kids. The most popular ditch was Flower Street (Archie?) and we also used to go to some place in the hills of Villa Park where I lived.

[BrooklynMW]

Some of those pics look like they're from the 90's. Early, like 90-92, which technically, was still the 80's. So it's cool.

[archie]

actually skateboarding was huge out here.

we had the Bare Cover (i used to skate on their team), Sidewalk Surfer (still in business), Vans California Daze as the 3 biggest ones.

i used to skate with M.Alba, S.Alba, Steve Schneer (the inventer of the HOHO plant), Bill Danforth, got to skate with Mark Gonzolas "the gonz" once.

i casually know DP through Duane Peters and the Disasters (i had him sign a pic from a show that i still have somewhere)

i actually got to skate Del Mar Skate ranch (the keyhole was fucking scarrrry!) a few times before is was bulldozed and got to skate the Upland Skatepark once on vacation

here are a few vintage skate pics for you to laugh at circa 1986

Awesome pics! I had a Salba Bevell skate board. That was the one with the major concave. I sold it in 83 or 84 to a buddy of mine for $50.00. Worth over a grand now if an original is sold.

Whoa. Yeah, I remember hearing about the dangling bit. Can you imagine how messed up that must have been? I was going to skate that day but didn't get around to it. Glad I didn't.

BTW, have you seen Holiday Roller Rink? I was there last year and the place looks just like it did in the mid '80s, with the "new wave" color palette they did after getting rid of the '70s earth tones. I know it was kinda gay, and not like I was a regular there, but still, it was nostalgic to go there.

My daughters go to Holiday now and then and skate with their friends. Place is the same. Pretty cool!

Those were awesome pics, der affe! You were so perfectly '86. The hair, the Vision deck... all a perfect snapshot. Excellent!

Steve Alba was getting kinda old then, but hey, he was my hero in like '80. I remember G&S had these things called Speed Sparks, which were these metal things with flint shit you'd attach to your back truck so when you were skating down the road at dusk there would be this trail of sparks. Steve was in an ad in Skateboarder, I think in '80, and I had to have Speed Sparks. iirc Danforth was just coming up around '85/'86.

By '86 that I was driving, surfing and partying. Big O was gone, so skating was some local ditch where we'd party, skate a little, and razz the younger kids. The most popular ditch was Flower Street (Archie?) and we also used to go to some place in the hills of Villa Park where I lived.

Flower St. Yes, I knew of it but never went cuz we heard you would get jumped there with some bad dudes.
We skated this pool at an abandoned house across the street from my buddies house. We took lots of pics too. Man, I would love to have them.Just never see or speak with this old friend anymore. No clue where he is today. Man did we mess that pool up.

Me at another buddies house. Like 83 or 84? Still have the same skateboard.

[phreshkid]

I'm all over the place these days. Was just in HB for two days for the US Open. Parked on Main St.Would of been cool to stop by and say hello.

Yeah I was there for the last three but we mostly watched he comp and got many free red bulls. Then we played with girls and surfed some of corona del mar's finest private beaches. If I would have known!

[N2MYE30]

Whoa, nice time machine thread. Last week I was at an pizza place and they had an Out-Run arcade. I was killing it!

[IRON-E]

Wow, I didn't grow up in the states but where I come from was very americanized, BMXs, skateboards, theatres and arcades were the shit.
I came to the states in late 86, graved a pair of JIMMY'Z shorts and a Maui t-shirt and I was hooked, I ran with a bunch of buddies from Santa Monica/Venice but was never a great skater. I still have an original NATAS deck with trucks and Independent trucks and OJ wheels........hahaha

The arcades, were the best place to pick up on skanks too. :pimp:

Thank you for sharing Archie, what a blast.